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QB Matt Flynn Meets the Media

QB Matt Flynn fielded questions from the media at the Raiders headquarters Tuesday.

Q: How eager are you to get this opportunity?

Flynn: I’m extremely eager. I’m excited, very humbled and honored to get this opportunity. I’m excited to come into Oakland and really get to work. That’s my main goal. I’m excited. I’m eager to get here and just get rolling, get to know the guys, get in the playbook and really start to build a team.

Q: Can you talk about your relationship with Reggie McKenzie and how you knew him with Green Bay and how that helped?

Flynn: We definitely go back. He was part of the room that drafted me when I came out. I knew Reggie pretty well. We always got along and always knew that Reggie had a good head on his shoulders and he knew what he was doing. He knew what he was talking about. Talking with him leading up to this process, it got me excited because he has a vision for where this thing is going. He’s a big-picture guy. He knows what he wants out of this thing and it got me excited. It got me definitely wanting this thing to go through.

Q: How do you feel about joining a team, you’re joining a storied franchise, but one that’s kind of been on the rocks for the last decade?

Flynn: What I’m doing is I’m looking to the future and I think that future is very bright for the Raiders. It’s something that I hope that I can be a part of and look forward to it. I know that they have a great past here, three Super Bowls and everything like that, and growing up you hear stories about the Raiders and it’s just one of those cherished teams in the NFL. So, like I said, I’m very humbled to be here and I got an opportunity.

Q: What’s happened with you the last several years in terms of your development, while not actually getting much playing time? How have you developed sort of behind-the-scenes?

Flynn: I feel like I’ve developed the skill of getting better and improving with actually not taking that many game reps. I’ve played in a few games, but I’ve sat back and I’ve tried to be a sponge. Being behind Aaron Rodgers, learning from Coach McCarthy and Tom Clements in Green Bay, I tried to learn as much as I could. And spending eight, nine hours a day for four years with Aaron, I picked up a lot of things. I feel like I always tried to make the best of my opportunities, whether that came in practice or in a game situation and I feel like each year I’ve improved. What happened this year in Seattle, I feel like it made me a better person, a better player, and has gotten me more excited about another opportunity.

Q: Did you feel blindsided last year? You were the designated guy…

Flynn: No, I didn’t feel blindsided at all about what happened. I came in there knowing that I was going to be in a competition. They never told me anything about handing me the keys to the car or anything like that. They told me from before I signed my name on the line that I was coming in to compete. I’ve never been afraid of competition. I feel like my football career I’ve been competing every year of my life pretty much. It’s something that I embrace and I think gets the best out of me. Was I blindsided? No, not at all. I knew it was a competition.

Q: Aaron had to wait a couple years to get his opportunity, how much did that help you to see what he went through and did he ever talk to you about that?

Flynn: Yeah, Aaron and I are close and we have a good relationship. Once I got there, we hit it off and he kind of took me under his wing and we’d always talk, whether it was X’s and O’s, whether it was defenses, whether it was life, being a backup, whatever it was, we’ve talked about it. I learned a lot from him about the mental approach to being a backup. Learning about the mental approach to stepping in to a starting role, being a starter, and being a leader.

Q: With Seattle being a pretty strong team, did you have any hesitation as far as leaving and coming here?

Flynn: No, I mean it wasn’t really up to me when it comes down to it, but I can’t wait to get here. I’m excited about it. It’s one of those things where I’m not looking back and I’m just ready to get this thing rolling.

Q: Was the approach the Raiders took similar to the one Seattle did, they said you’re coming in here to compete?

Flynn: Absolutely. I’ve had brief conversations now with the coaches and Reggie and everybody and what they want to do is breed a competitive environment. That’s what it’s all about. Breed competition at every position and guys start learning how to win, how to kick, scratch, claw, whatever it takes to win. That’s what I’m excited about. Talking to them, it gets me fired up for what they believe and what they’re trying to get out of it.

Q: But at the same time, isn’t it your expectation to come in and start?

Flynn: I think that should be everybody’s expectation, whether you’re competing for linebacker, DB, snapper. Whatever position you’re competing for, I think that should be your mentality. You’re expecting to win that job. That’s the mental approach I’m going to take to it and I’m just going to compete every day. The Raiders organization is going to get 100 percent out of me all the time, whether that’s on the field, off the field, in the meeting rooms, whatever it is, they’re going to get all of me. I’m here to work and I’m here to compete and do whatever I need to do to make this place better.

Q: Having said that, after the Packers, and now Seattle, is this kind of a third time’s a charm type thing?

Flynn: I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you that, but I know I’m going to give it my best shot. I’m a very confident player. I’m very confident about what I bring and we’ll just see how that plays out.

Q: For the Raider Nation out there that just kind of doesn’t know you that well, what’s your style?

Flynn: You’re going to get a smart, disciplined player that doesn’t like to lose and doesn’t accept losing. I’ve always been competitive no matter what is, no matter what I’m playing. It’s something that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of very good teams, championship teams, whether that was in high school, college, NFL, and I know what it looks like. I know what that mentality looks like in the locker room, on the field, practice field, wherever it is. Hopefully I can bring a little bit of that here.

Q: Whether it was chess, checkers, card game, you have to win…

Flynn: I don’t take to it too easy.

Q: When was the last time you were on a team with a losing record?

Flynn: First year in Green Bay, we were 6-10.

Q: Through high school at all?

Flynn: No.

Q: So one year out of…

Flynn: I’ve been pretty fortunate. I’ve been pretty fortunate and I guess when you’re on good teams for that long, you just expect it. So I think that’s a good attribute to have.

Q: Do you see the irony in this that you were on a team with a guy named JaMarcus Russell and now JaMarcus came here and pretty much played his way out of the league and now here you are? Can you talk about the irony in that?

Flynn: I really haven’t thought about it too much. Me and JaMarcus came into LSU together, same signing class. We had a good relationship with each other, still do. But I don’t know what’s happened in the past. I don’t know any of that. I’m here, my first day, and I’m looking forward to the future and I’m looking forward to getting this thing going and start winning games.

Q: When the off-season started, were you looking at possibilities as far as other teams that may need a quarterback? What was your mindset this off-season?

Flynn: I was hoping to get another opportunity. I didn’t know if it would happen. I didn’t know really what was going to happen because when you talk about being traded, you don’t really have a lot of say-so in much. And Seattle had told me that if they can find the right place for me to get another opportunity, then they would look into it. So I try not to watch too much TV or watch too much ESPN or anything like that so I didn’t really know a whole lot of what was going on, except for talks that you have with your agent, which is pretty normal. But once this thing started rolling, started talking to people, once I started talking to people from the organization, I just wanted to get this thing done and get here.

Q: Have you talked to Greg Olson yet?

Flynn: I have. I’ve met briefly with him. Really haven’t talked X’s and O’s yet, just kind of getting to know him a little bit. I look forward to getting into the book and getting up here.

Q: You understand though that this is a process that they’re going to ask you to be a big part of a rebuilding process?

Flynn: Yeah, it’s something that fires me up. It’s something that really makes me ready to get here. I want to be a part of something and be a part of something special and I really think that it’s a big possibility here of building something special, building a winning environment and building a really great organization. I think that’s part of the plan and, like I said, I’m very humbled and very blessed to have this opportunity and to be a part of it.

Q: How much do you have to do before you’re able to settle in and be a regular presence at the facility here?

Flynn: I don’t know. My fiancé and I will be flying back up here next week and trying to get settled in, get a lay of the land, and kind of find a place to live. Then, once that happens, I’ll be here.

Q: So maybe a couple weeks?

Flynn: Yeah, maybe. A week, maybe. I don’t know. This all happened so fast. I flew out of Baton Rouge yesterday at 2:00 and I didn’t know I was flying out at 2:00 until like 11:00-11:30 in the morning, so it was like all right, get your backpack and get on a plane.